Have you been told not to test your blood sugars?

Melgar said:

GP's telling diabetics not to test seems to be a UK thing. In Canada and I'm sure it's the same in the States, you are advised to test twice a day.

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Bad sugar baby said:

my GP told me not to bother monitoring as it wasn’t really useful but didn’t explain why that was.

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To be fair a random once or twice a day and without education is just as almost pointless as not monitoring at all. In both cases it’s because many drs don’t have a clue how to use testing for anything other than hypo avoidance or insulin dosing.

To be useful you need to be able to take the data, understand why you have the reading you do and be able to do something about it. Just a list of numbers is just that. This is why we advise people to take before and after readings. (Usually 2 hrs apart for meal testing) That way you know what that meal (or event or activity etc) did to you. You can choose to repeat, alter or avoid next time. You can see how it compares to a non diabetic reading (ultimately we aim to mimic this as best possible). Take enough readings across the highs and lows a day enough times and you’ll get a decent estimate of your hba1c.

The best a (twice) daily reading will do is tell you very very broadly how you’re doing over all. But considering how much readings can fluctuate during the day it could give a totally different picture taken at a different point of the day.

Melgar said:

Actually @HSSS I'm very impressed with my diabetes care from my Drs. They are knowledgeable and switched on around carb reduction and diabetes. One of my Drs even advocates for very low carb diets. I see my Dr every 3 months. I feel confident with their care.
I would much rather be over subscribed test strips than be told not to test at all. And I pay a fraction of the cost for my test strips.

Telling people not to test as far as I'm concerned is shocking. Of course, just because we are told to test twice a day doesn't mean we have to test twice a day. They are not meds. I 100% agree that just randomly testing your blood sugars through the day is a waste of time, but nobody is suggesting testing randomly throughout the day. We get the standard advice to test before a meal and 2 hours after a meal.

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I wasn’t suggesting you shouldn’t be impressed overall, nor that getting a couple of strips a day isn’t an improvement on none. I certainly didn’t mention anything about carb reduction, the rest of their care or how you should feel about it so I’m not sure where that came from in all honesty.

I did make the assumption about timing of the (unspecified) tests you mentioned based on the fact it is frequently advised to just take a morning reading and maybe a bedtime too. My bad. I’m very pleased to hear you were given more structured advice. Sadly not everyone is, and these posts will be read by some of them so hopefully it helps them as much as your drs are helping you.

And briefly, I never questioned that.

My post was intended to explain how testing can be more effective (or less effective) and better than no testing and wasn’t aimed at you personally Just the type of regime it “appeared” you were describing and frequently is advised. I’ll leave is there

.I was told that I didn't need to test by one of my GPs as there was nothing they could do if my readings were high. That's fine if you are getting the occasional low teens but not when you have readings in the 20s. I hadn't tested for a while thinking the tablets were doing their job until I tested when not feeling well. BM of 20 to 22 and can't seem to get it down. If I had tested on a regular basis I could I possibly noticed an upward trend

AnnieWales said:

I hadn't tested for a while thinking the tablets were doing their job until I tested when not feeling well. BM of 20 to 22 and can't seem to get it down.

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Please also test for ketones and if they are high go to hospital.
If you can't or they aren't and numbers remain high and feeling ill then at least ring 111 or go to hospital.
And let us know how it goes.

AnnieWales said:

.I was told that I didn't need to test by one of my GPs as there was nothing they could do if my readings were high.

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perhaps not there and then. What you can do is realise why they were so high and try to avoid repeating the cause - often the food you’ve chosen to eat - and having high levels repeatedly.

This sounds completely insane to me!
My strips are covered here in Canada, but I'm ****** off that a CGM is not covered unless you are on insulin. I periodically pay out of pocket for a CGM.

NHS Scotland here are great, we've always had test strips and lancets.

Bluetit1802 said:

Yes, I was told testing is unnecessary for type 2's not on insulin by my nurse.

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Bluetit1802 said:

Yes, I was told testing is unnecessary for type 2's not on insulin by my nurse.

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Me too, and I was kinda relieved coz I wasn't particularly enjoying finger-pricking once or more a day and it seemed a bit pointless as it varied so much compared to the baseline data I'd acquired (4WIW I have a background in stats/bioscience so I have some idea of what I'm talking about). The practice explained that 3-monthly HbA1C is a better marker over time, so I'm good with that.

I only test mine first thing in the morning 2-3 times a week or if I suspect certain foods I’ve eaten have spiked my BG. A 3 monthly hba1c won’t give me that information.

MissMuffett said:

I only test mine first thing in the morning 2-3 times a week or if I suspect certain foods I’ve eaten have spiked my BG. A 3 monthly hba1c won’t give me that information.

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Yes. I know it's not strictly "necessary" but I find it useful. I test first thing every day and before and after some meals, especially new or carby ones.

3 months is too long an interval for me, but then I am newly diagnosed and my BG is still rather crazy. Perhaps once (if!) I get to stable HbA1c results like my mum (who has never tested) I won't feel the need to test daily/ weekly?

debs248 said:

Yes. I know it's not strictly "necessary" but I find it useful. I test first thing every day and before and after some meals, especially new or carby ones.

3 months is too long an interval for me, but then I am newly diagnosed and my BG is still rather crazy. Perhaps once (if!) I get to stable HbA1c results like my mum (who has never tested) I won't feel the need to test daily/ weekly?

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Proof, if needed, that everyone's circs (and to an extent, received advice) differs : -))